Welcome!

Over the years, those of us involved with GPIFF have been
involved with music to varying degrees - as students playing instruments during
our school years, as parents and appreciative audience members, or as adult
musicians. Involvement with school music programs has also become an important
part of our lives.

As such, it has come to our attention that a great need
exists for support of these programs and the students in them. Many students do
not own their own instruments, and the instruments that their schools provide
are often in need of repair or replacement, if available.

It is this need that has spurred us to create Georgia’s Play it Forward Foundation Inc,
a Georgia Non-Profit (applying for our 501(c)3 status with the IRS).

Our primary goal is simple:to provide instruments and financial assistance to students in need. We
also believe in the power of ownership, as it instills a desire in the student
to care for the instrument. We have seen this first hand with high school
students and with some students that we have already helped. All we ask of the
receiving student is that he/she donates the instrument to another student when
he/she quits playing.

Another goal as the organization grows is to provide
assistance to school music programs for sheet music purchases, and instrument
repairs or purchases.

As mentioned above, many schools have instruments, but many
are also in need of minor to serious repairs. An example is a school with eight
bass clarinets of which only one works entirely correctly. Some need to be
repaired while others need replacement. Unfortunately, a new student model
(plastic) bass clarinet starts at $1,600 and does not provide the tonal quality
of a wooden one that start at $3,800. Many school systems do not budget for new
instruments for the programs at all and must rely on donations.

In future years, we want to offer scholarships to students
who have benefitted from our program or who are planning to major in music in
college. While there are numerous scholarships available, the actual likelihood
of qualifying and receiving one is low. We have also seen this first-hand
through applications submitted by students we have known as they have set out
to college.

That’s where we come in, and this is how you can help: any
donation of any size would be greatly appreciated and accepted at this time –
either instrumental or financial. We’re working hard to match musical
instruments to students in need but we need your support.